What a start to 2020!
Rockets are being fired everywhere, not just in the Middle East! The extraordinary Elon Musk’s satellite delivery company, SpaceX, launched its Falcon 9 rocket deploying 60 new satellites for Musk’s Starlink Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation, bringing the total now to 180. The Falcon 9 returned landed safely in one piece. The scale of Musk’s Starlink constellation is 2,000 satellites, to be launched at a rate of 60 satellites every two months!
Also, in January we had the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas showcasing all the latest new tech. I was amused to see that Samsung launched a TV that physically twists from landscape format to portrait by motor to match the orientation of your phone. I sometimes ask myself “do we really need that?” when amazing new technology is launched, but experience tells me that this one will really take off.
Our BIG DATA 4G services are working well both locally and globally!
We’ve been really pleased to see our new Big Data Caribbean plus Bahamas and Big Data Global 4G services being used all over the world during the festive season. They are single SIM systems that are very easy to use. Apart from the Caribbean, including the US Virgin Islands and the Bahamas, we have had yachts using them in the UAE, Maldives, India, New Zealand and the USA.
We asked our clients what made these new services so successful, and they told us that they like the fact that the services are no hassle, flexible and they are not tied in. They also told us that they really appreciate the quality of our support, especially when combined with our very experienced tech and service support in and out of hours.
What’s new from the e3 stable this year?
We have just launched our first new product for 2020! This includes 800GB of 4G data a month for FREE with our Ku band Speedcast VSAT contracts! This is a no-brainer, as you get our full HYBRID service including both VSAT and 4G with full support for both technologies, equipment and service, at a single, competitive monthly VSAT fee.
What will this do for you?
- Firstly, you will have almost 100% data connectivity in the selected areas.
- Secondly, you will have pretty much unlimited data on VSAT and 4G.
- The FREE 800GB can be used with any IPTV service 24/7 for the whole month. (@1GB/hour).
- All at the cost of a very competitive VSAT contract.
- With full technical and service support.
We now also offer a new, very low-cost entry VSAT service with the ability to upgrade and downgrade easily that can be expanded into a full HYBRID service with 4G, Iridium Certus, TVRO or IPTV.
The new Iridium service Certus has really taken off in 2019 and is now being installed as an alternative to Fleet Broadband as a backup satellite solution. It provides coverage at the Poles so is a good solution for the more adventurous yachts, and also has higher bandwidth options than the last generation Iridium solutions. Both Iridium Certus and Fleet Broadband 500 and 250 will become GMDSS compatible early this year.
We also have various new TVRO and IPTV solutions to offer.
A uniquely designed installation combining aesthetics and technology!
Last year we installed a unique communications installation on SY Xasteria. The remit was to keep the lines of the yacht untouched but with a high spec communications solution.
SY Xasteria has had the same owner since she came out of the Perini Navi shipyard for the first time in 1995. He was heavily involved throughout the design and construction stages and was therefore keen to keep the clean lines the yacht currently enjoys while also upgrading – something that was not really possible with the addition of twin VSAT antennas.
Both captain and owner have a keen interest in the latest technology. On a previous command, the captain had worked with us to install Kymeta panels and had a very positive experience in terms of service and connectivity. He therefore suggested the panels to the owner and after some research we made a design brief based on a satellite communications upgrade that would not impact the original design.
The installation took seven days and included a new onboard IT network, a Hybrid system with two Kymeta panels and 4G – all starting from scratch!
To meet the required aesthetics, both panels were sunk into wells and as such cannot be seen from the side. Each well is designed with maintenance access and drainage.
The owner, guests and crew have been impressed with the performance of the panels over the summer, which they have successfully used for all data connectivity including TV streaming.
Following the refit, the owner was very happy, commenting that we had managed to improve the yacht and add so much technology in the way that he couldn’t have expected.
Meet Lisa Davis, General Office Manager
Lisa, originally from Coventry, England, has been part of the e3 team since April 2000, joining Alan and myself 19 years ago at our office in Marivent, or the ‘Broom Cupboard’ as we fondly referred to it. Over the years, she has seen many changes in the Company and has observed first-hand e3’s growth and success within the industry.
Lisa says “As the Company has expanded, so has my role and its direction. I don’t wear quite so many hats nowadays with an expansive and knowledgeable team, but one of my roles as General Office Manager is to ensure that there are sound, clear procedures and guidelines in place, particularly for the administration side of the business”.
“This has bought many challenges along the way, VAT treatment for the supply of goods and services has always been somewhat perplexing when dealing with vessels. One of the biggest adaptations was the introduction of MOSS (Mini One Stop Shop) VAT on Telecommunication’s and Broadcasting Services. MOSS is the taxation of these services within the Country where they are consumed. I believe that our legal and standardised approach to implementing MOSS and all VAT Directives is a part of e3’s USP offered by few”.
“As I look back at my years with e3 I am always amazed at how quickly technology changes and indeed our need to acclimatise to it and provide our customers with what they expect from e3.
Back in 2000, we probably made 20 credit card transactions a month, compared to approximately 785 a month in 2019. The creation of our customer portal my.e3s and our secure PCIDSS-compliant credit card payment gateway means that we can handle technology and business growth efficiently”.
In her spare time Lisa loves nothing more than cooking and spending time with her family, she says “At the office I may speak in GL codes and be obsessed with Gross Profit reports and flow-charts, but don’t let anyone tell you that I still can’t be fun! In fact, that is that one of the many job titles which have been bestowed upon me at e3 – Director of Fun!”
Lisa and her partner Darren have 4 children between the ages of 17 and 28, of whom they are extremely proud. With one daughter recently married, and the other in the next few months, there are certainly a lot of exciting times and wonderful memories ahead for the Davis/Collingridge family.
Roger Horner – e3 systems
+34 971 404 208
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